Monday, October 31, 2011

Predjudice and Favoritism on the Color Wheel

When I teach Color Theory, I don't teach students what colors look best on them. I figure that by the time we're young adults we've all gotten plenty of feedback about which colors "really bring out" our eyes and which ones make us look pale and sick. Perhaps some of you were even assigned a color "season" through the Color Me Beautiful program. (Wow, I just looked that up and found that it is still going strong. Who knew? I remember when my aunt got her "colors done." She was a Winter. She told me I was an Autumn).

I argue that everyone can wear every color, in moderation, mixed with other colors. I wear all of them. However, if yellow is my Superman of colors, purple is my Bizarro. When organizing my stash, I found this partially finished Wool Peddler's Shawl, in purple (here modeled as a cat blanket because I feel such apathy about putting it on):

I almost ripped it, but it measures nearly six feet across the top, so I worked a few rows of garter stitch and bound off. But I'll never wear it. It's destined to be overdyed. What is it about this blackberry color? What IS it?

I have more of the purple yarn, which is Lorna's Laces Fisherman, a 100% soft wool (merino?), worsted weight, in blackberry (you can see the colors here; this blackberry is more muted than the color in the photo). It's a great yarn, very soft and far more durable than Shepherd Worsted. I don't know why more shops don't carry it. In any case, I'm obviously not going to knit another project from this yarn.

Like purple? Want the yarn? Just leave a comment telling me your least favorite color and how it makes you feel. I'll start: Purple. Lethargic. I'll pick a comment at random at the end of the week!

i think i'm on the same page as you, color-wise: love them all, and especially orange as an accent, but hate purple. soooooo much. i'm glad someone else agrees. anyway, i think all the color combos you put on yourself are fantastic.

Well now I really like purple, especially ones like that. What I hate, REALLY really hate, is orange. Just the sight of it, and even the thought fills me with disgust and rage. The idea of WEARING orange... ugh. Just ugh. I would turn my life around, just to make sure I don't come into more contact with it than I have to. For instance, I will check team colors for any place I may live in the future. If one is orange, I would seriously consider not moving there, even if everything else is perfect about the place.

I have to go calm down now, all this thinking about orange has made me upset.

Color-prejudice/favoritism is an interesting topic. I saw your shawl and thought, "Wow! I love that color!" and then read the you hate it... While I do like all colors, purple a comfort color for me, in clothing and decoration. The same goes for red and most shades of blue; I just feel "myself" around those colors. Yellowy-green is a color I *want* to like, and I do appreciate it in small doses (usually mixed in with other colors in a print or stripes) but I don't like wearing it much.Fun to see everyone elses' comments!

I think we are opposite. I Love to wear purple. It makes me glow. But yellow makes me feel sickly, like a zombie. Also, pastel pinks make me feel old. I have a sister who gives me pink shirts every year for Christmas. I'm not sure she's aware of the pattern. Oh! And I have a habit of knitting green sweaters. At least once a year a green sweater is born.

Gray is my least favorite color. Well, I guess shade but whatever. It makes be feel dull and lifeless. In my opinion it lacks personality unlike black or white which can be a perfect accent. My favorite color (judging from all my WIPs and stash is purple. Blue is a close second.

pastels bore me. I never knit them except for this week I am knitting a pastel blue shawl for my Grandma because I know she'll like it. It's surprised me what a chore it is to work on even though I enjoy the pattern! I just don't like the color.

I like most all other colors as long as they are not too flat looking.

I can't say that there are any colors that I hate. There are some shades and tints that make me wince. Bubble gum pink is not my favorite. On the other hand I love the old fashion "ashes of roses" pink.

PINK! because I have a 2 year old daughter and WHY DO ALL THE CLOTHES HAVE TO BE PINK??? Ugh.

My colors change all the time but I do find myself buying purple yarn all the time, I don't know why. So this stuff will feel right at home in my house. And I can maybe make something to dress my child in NOT PINK!

ecru makes me really, really unhappy. I'm with you on lots of colors in moderation (I tend to gravitate towards gray for my general wardrobe and accessorize with color), but ecru just...I can't put any color with it and make it look right. I lived in a house with walls that color and beige carpet for two years. Needless to say, I did not get my deposit back.

I've been thinking about this a lot recently -- basically any shade of blue between teal and navy, and ice blue (easy to confuse with those palest grays and greens) does not work. They bores me. Maybe ennui is what I'm feeling ...

(This thought process inspired by some stash-knitting of yarn that I bought because I loved the name -- Beach Plum -- and the picture -- turquoisey blues and purples -- and I cannot wait to finish them as socks because, well, see above!)

Your cats are pretty adorable in that blanket, however.

(And I am fine with not being included in the drawing ... though I love purple, I'm feeling blasè toward your beautifully knitted piece, which something powerful about color!)

I have black hair, green eyes, and yellow (sallow) skin. I can wear anything purple, blue, turquoise, and blue reds. Purple is just flattering to me, it makes my eyes pop and looks good with my dark hair. Anything with much yellow in it at all looks very bad. I love orange but can't wear it much. Unless its a blue-orange -- I know that doesn't seem possible but there are some cool oranges you know. Pink makes me miserable, it makes me think of pepto-bismal and barbies. Ugh.

No doubt about it... a bright red. I so often try to leave the house with it on in the morning. Sometimes I even make it to my car. Sometimes I make it to the end of the road. And then the inevitable u-turn. Sigh.

Moby Dick quiz on Penguin USA on facebook, how much do you know? https://apps.facebook.com/penguinusa/Quizzes/Take/1782

I'm pretty omnivorous in colors, it all depends on what you pair them with. I've never been a wearer of green but have been inching into it with some more neutral ones, like a drab or army green. Don't think I would ever look good in a bright kelly, eek.

Ahh-hmmm, I very much like that blackberry :) :) Though I think colour likes/dislikes are definitely related to personalities and I can see how that colour would not be a fave of yours :) :) Lethargic???? Soothing and restful to me :) :) In fact, I just bought the yarn to knit Tempest in two shades of, well perhaps it's a bit more burgundy that what you showed but looking good!!! Wearing orange would be my personal ick but know it looks great on others :)

Blue. Makes me feel cold. I hate that most default screen interfaces are blue. The first thing I do is customize to something warm, something from the bodily fluids pallette. Just started reading your blog. This if fun!

Yellow: sickly. I try to wear it, it's so bright, but I take it off every time. Same with orange and I love orange. But purple makes me look fantastic. Which is why I am knitting a purple sweater right now after blocking out my last purple (and grey) sweater.